A Tandem Sulfonylation and Knoevenagel Condensation for the Preparation of Sulfocoumarin-3-carboxylates

Sulfocoumarins are key structural motifs in several bioactive molecules. Herein, we describe a simple, one-pot procedure for the synthesis of structurally diverse sulfonocoumarin-3-carboxylates by heating 2-hydroxyaryl aldehydes with an active sulfonyl chloride in the presence of pyridine. The process tolerates numerous functional groups including alkoxy, alkyl, halogen, nitro, and even nucleophilic phenolic hydroxy. Additionally, reactions of 2-hydroxyaryl ketones and 2-methylaminoaryl aldehydes give 4-substituted sulfocoumarins and 1-aza-2-sulfocoumarins, respectively. A gram-scale synthesis and further derivatizations are also reported. The ester group is easily removed via ­Happer’s decarboxylation.

Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective Coupling between Allyl­boronates and Phosphates Using a Phenol–Carbene Chiral Ligand: Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral Branched 1,5-Dienes

Details of the Cu-catalyzed enantioselective allyl–allyl coupling reaction between allylboronates and (Z)-allylic phosphates using a new chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand containing a phenolic hydroxy group are presented. The copper catalysis delivers enantio­enriched chiral 1,5-dienes with a tertiary stereogenic center. Compatibility with various functional groups and the use of earth-abundant and relatively low-toxicity copper as a metal are attractive features of this protocol. The utility of the chiral phenol–NHC ligand for enantioselective copper catalysis with organoboron compounds is demonstrated and enantiodiscrimination models are discussed.

Syntheses and structures of discrete copper(II) and cadmium(II) supramolecular complexes based on 1,4-diacylthiosemicarbazone ligands

Thiosemicarbazides and their metal complexes have attracted considerable interest because of their biological activities and their flexibility, which allows the ligands to bend and rotate freely to accommodate the coordination geometries of various metal centres. Discrete copper(II) and cadmium(II) complexes have been prepared by crystallization ofN-[2-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)hydrazinecarbonothioyl]propanamide (H3L) with Cu(CH3COO)2or Cd(NO3)2in a dimethylformamide/methanol mixed-solvent system at room temperature, affording the complexes di-μ-acetato-bis{μ4-1-[(2-oxidophenyl)carbonyl]-2-(propanamidomethanethioyl)hydrazine-1,2-diido}tetracopper(II) dimethylformamide disolvate, [Cu4(C11H10N3O3S)2(C2H3O2)2]·2C3H7NO, (I), and bis{μ2-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)formamido](propanamidomethanethioyl)azanido}bis[(4,4′-bipyridine)nitratocadmium(II)] dihydrate, [Cd2(C11H12N3O3S)2(NO3)2(C10H8N2)2]·2H2O, (II). Complex (I) consists of four CuIIcations, two μ4-bridging trianionic ligands and two μ2-bridging acetate ligands, while complex (II) is composed of two CdIIcations, two μ2-bridging monoanionic ligands, two nitrate ligands and two 4,4′-bipyridine ligands. These discrete complexes are connected by hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions to form a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture. Compared with (I), the phenolic hydroxy group and hydrazide N atom of the thiosemicarbazide ligand of (II) are not involved in coordination and lead to a binuclear CdIIcomplex. This different coordination mode may be attributed to the larger ionic radius of the CdIIion compared with the CuIIion.

Candida antarctica lipase B-catalyzed regioselective deacylation of dihydroxybenzenes acylated at both phenolic hydroxy groups

Candida antarctica lipase B proved to be highly active in the deacylation of substituted hydroquinones and resorcinols acylated at both phenolic hydroxy groups. The deacylation reactions were much faster than the corresponding direct acylations of these dihydroxybenzenes catalyzed by the same lipase. More importantly, they took place generally in a markedly regioselective manner: the acyloxy group remote from the substituent was preferentially cleaved. The main or exclusive products obtained were the regioisomers of those produced through the direct acylation of the dihydroxybenzenes. In the case of alkyl-substituted hydroquinone derivatives, the regioselectivity increased with an increase in the bulk of the substituent. In the case of 4-substituted diacylated resorcinols, the 3-O-monoacyl derivatives were obtained generally as the sole products. Quite interestingly, some secondary alcohols proved to act as better acyl acceptors than the corresponding primary alcohols in these enzymatic deacylations.